Globetrotters Tony wrote in to tell us about the Anglo-Paraguayan Friendship Society he belongs to. He says that they hold some very enjoyable social events throughout the year. If anyone is interested in attending, they can contact Lotte Pigram, Anglo-Paraguayan Society, 93 Kingsfield Rd, Watford, Herts WD19 4TP, tel: 01923-246274 or e-mail Lotte on: lottepigram@hotmail.com
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Bangkok’s Homeless Removed
The Thai authorities have announced their intention to clear Bangkok’s streets of thousands of homeless people ahead of a meeting of world leaders next month.
Where will they go? The Thai Prime Minister and officials have said that some would be sent for vocational training at army camps or shelters, and those suffering from psychiatric disorders would be taken to hospital.
But the Beetle noticed a discrepancy in what is being reported: “Arrested immigrant beggars will be deported, prostitutes will be sent to rehabilitation centres and insane homeless will be sent to mental hospitals,” said Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
“There are no excuses for being a vagabond,” Bangkok’s Governor told The Bangkok Post. “Everybody must have a place to live.”
Give them a chance to go back home first, then put (the rest) together in one place and feed them from the state budget like my previous operation against street dogs,” Mr Samak was quoted as saying by The Nation.
Tourists Kidnapped in Colombia
Police in Colombia say that eight foreign tourists have been kidnapped as they hiked near the Caribbean coast where a so-called Lost City (Ciudad Perdida) sits in the jungle built by an indigenous civilisation 500 B.C. One British tourist has managed to escape, the remaining seven tourists are from Israel, the UK, Germany and Spain. Thousands of troops have been mobilised to search for them in the high mountains of the Sierra Nevada, 750 kilometres (465 miles) north of the capital, Bogotá. Most of Colombia's 3,000-odd kidnappings every year – that is one every four hours – are carried out by FARC (Latin America's biggest guerrilla group with 17,000 fighters) who use the ransom to fund their 39-year war on the state.
Sahara Photo Exhibition London
Globetrotters Marion Bull is having a photo exhibition at the Horniman Centre in south London, opening 4th October. The free exhibition depicts the dramatic landscape in and around the plateau and the nomadic Tuareg herders, the Kel Djanti, who once inhabited Tassili N'Ajjer, before they were driven out by drought.
There will also be a special concert of North African Berber 'N' Rai music and dance to celebrate the opening of the Sahara exhibition. With a fusion of traditional and modern Algerian music, this exciting and energetic four-piece band is guaranteed to get you out of your seats and up on your feet!
Sunday 5th Oct 2 – 2.45pm & 3 – 3.45pm. Free entrance.
Pilot Shenanigans
Southwest Airlines, the highly successful US low cost airline – the one that Ryanair is modelled on, has fired two pilots (both men) for allegedly taking off their clothes whilst in the cockpit, in flight.
Southwest is famous for being offbeat. When they started flying in 1971, flight attendants wore hot pants (one assumes the female ones) and were chosen for sex appeal and they are known even today for making funny in-flight announcements, sometimes even in song.
This is not the first time that pilots have behaved badly – America West fired a pair of pilots last year for being under the influence of alcohol in the cockpit after running up a $142 tab at a Miami bar the night before. A Northwest Airlines pilot was arrested in January, after a loaded gun was found in his carry-on.
Airline News
In a bid to step up flight security, China plans to use policemen disguised as crew members. The undercover police, who may be armed, are undergoing training and are likely to be deployed in October this year.
British Airways has suspended all flights to Saudi Arabia after receiving evidence of a planned attack on a UK jet at Riyadh airport.
Expect to get some good fares between New Zealand and Tasmania: Air New Zealand (ANZ) is to launch a low cost service Tasman Express on October 29th on its trans Tasman route. There is already an Emirates service across the Tasman Sea and Virgin Blue has said it intends to start flights between the two countries later this year.
ANZ also plans to cut the price of fares from Auckland to Sydney by 45 percent to NZD$189 (USD$111) one way, while the total reductions would average about 20 percent.
India's first budget airline, Air Deccan has just started with flights from the southern city of Bangalore. Air Deccan aims to undercut other carriers' fares by 50 percent, will start with one daily service to Hubli and Mangalore, but plans to expand quickly to 20 flights per day to destinations in the south of the country. India's civil aviation minister, Rajav Prat Rudy said: “The days of flying being a symbol of only maharajas or the rich are over.”
Pilots in the US are pressing the government to train more cockpit crews in the use of guns after new warnings about possible terrorist hijack attempts.
The US government has put out a worldwide alert that terrorists may be plotting more hijack attempts on commercial airliners this summer. According to a report from CNN the targets could include Australia, Italy, the UK or the eastern United States. However, the intelligence is still being evaluated and some doubts have been cast on its reliability.
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The Hospitality Club
Ben Sessions from Houston, Texas wrote in to recommend: “a wonderful travel-accommodations club. My wife and I often travel in the US and Europe researching our ancestors and visiting relatives, old friends and new friends. We belong to a travel group The Hospitality Club, which has members worldwide offering free accommodations for travellers. It is free to join and all the members are listed on the internet by country and city. We spent June in Germany and met and overnighted with several members. They were wonderful and quite accommodating. Frugal folks who like and/or need to travel will benefit greatly from this organization, (members have the option of being a host/hostess or not.)
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